Suggesting that many works by and about women are available, accessible, and necessary to balance the high school English curriculum, this book offers diverse selections from women writers and introduces practical ideas on how to integrate them into the curriculum. Multicultural and feminist, the book is intended for teachers already engaged in…

Intended for college students and teachers of English literature, this paper examines the lives and works of three great medieval Anglo-Saxon priestly scholars whose Latin writings have preserved the Anglo-Saxon roots of the English language. The paper first describes the works of Aldhelm, born in 650 A.D., whose poetry was not in the Latin…

This paper describes the characteristics of lexicographic software programs used in a module on Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock," a major component of a course on computer-assisted learning (CAL) at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Two of the databases are specific to that school and are small, individualized, and…

Clarifies the three forms--compensatory, justificatory, and transformational--that feminist criticism usually takes and, in particular, how it applies to Shakespeare studies. Examines some women's roles in Shakespeare's plays and the effect of feminist criticism on interpretations of these characters. (JC)

This book, a new series in literary criticism and English studies, presents 24 essays. Essays in the book are: "Melville and the Question of Camoes" (George Monteiro); "Calvin Daniel Yost, Jr." (Benjamin Franklin Fisher IV); "'The Haystack in the Floods': An Uncharacteristic Preraphaelite Poem" (Veronica M. S.…

A stylistic approach to the teaching of English literature is required--one that focuses on the use of specific language styles instead of the traditional singular focus on theme. The only justification for studying English literature in its original language (i.e., English) is because the language used by the writer is a crucial element in the…

Describes a teacher's experience teaching sixth grade drama in Britain, where drama is viewed as distinct from literature and stresses role playing. Outlines particular improvisation activities, scriptwriting projects, approaches to class discussion, and the use of dramatic activities to teach other subjects. (JG)

The author describes how early America adopted a standard of literature study expressing the nation's predominately English/European heritage. Since the 1970 census indicates that European Americans are no longer the majority, he suggests that it's time to broaden literature study to other cultures and to America itself. (SJL)

Discusses "La Naissance du Jour" a novel by Colette, focusing on the mother-daughter relationship that underlies the story, and explores the same theme in other fictional works by women writers. Devotes particular attention to the ambivalence that troubles these relationships when the heroines face heterosexual love. (MES)

A study compared the results of a 1986 survey on the opinions of preservice teachers with those of a survey conducted in 1984 by William Bennett (at that time chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities). Bennett's survey asked respondents to list 30 works that students should be expected to read before high school graduation.…

It is proposed that the training of teachers in the techniques of language instruction can work in two different directions: teachers trained in universities, who have the most confidence in their subject-area abilities, need training in methodology; teachers educated in teacher training institutions are methodologically well prepared, but they…

Explores some of the problematic historical commitments of English studies and reasons for the current rhetoric of crisis within the discipline. Focuses on English as reading and the issues of identity, otherness, and cultural politics in English studies. Argues that a move toward a Cultural Studies perspective is overdue, describing several…

Offers a critique of contemporary American Shakespeare criticism in higher education. Argues that the current movement, called New Historicism, pursues its political analysis of Shakespeare within the context of a narrow political agenda including issues of race, class, gender, culture, and power determined by specific contemporary concerns. (JB)

Reviews essays by Raymond Williams, which explain how, within the context of a 150-year literary history, rural stereotypes have been constructed and imbedded within a collective consciousness by a form of cultural colonization. Suggests that Williams' insights can help rural education researchers think outside the conventional wisdom that…

Recounts author's experience in teaching 'King Lear' to her community college students. States that many students denounced Shakespeare's work as having little relevance to contemporary society. Argues that the author's plays and poems are relevant and timeless, and that one should "reason not the need" for reading his work. (AUTH/NB)